Holders for cutting tools for lathes are known in the field. In recent years, lathes with sockets for cutting tools with round shafts for horizontal processing of workpieces have become more and more common, such as machines for turning along. During turning along, the workpiece is held in place by means of a clamping sleeve in the same way as during traditional turning.
Flatbed lathes have also become more common. It is often common for all of these machine types which are adapted for mass production to have axially mounted and often round holders fixed in a height direction. Tools that are to machine towards a center of the workpiece need in most cases to be adjusted with an accuracy of 0.01 mm in order to achieve the best product and the longest wear time.
Regardless of turning technology, it is very important to be able to position the cutting tool in a machine as simply and as accurately as possible in relation to the workpiece. For that purpose, holders for cutting tools have been developed which comprise one or more pieces that are movable and adjustable. Adjustment of the position of the cutting tool is often performed via adjustment of a part of the holder by means of adjustment screws and fixed by one or more locking screws.
An adjustable plate is most commonly used which can be attached to a corresponding fixed plate where one or two screws move one plate vertically or radially in relation to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece, while four or even more screws are used as locking screws in order to attach the plate to the fixed plate. The problem with such solutions is their complexity, making the adjustment of the position of the cutting tool time consuming. Moreover, such holders are expensive to produce and result in lower stability and precision.
Another solution is shown in U.S Published patent application number US 2006/0230890 where a holder is composed of a detachable part to which a cutting tool can be attached and a fixed part. The detachable and the fixed part have a bore through which a locking screw can pass and thus lock the first part against the second part. The cutting tool can in that case only be adjusted in the radial direction, but not in the height direction. Even if this solution uses considerably less components than the solutions described earlier, the options for accurate adjustment of the position of the cutting tool are limited.
It would thus be desirable to find a solution which simplifies the adjustment of the position of the cutting tool in a holder and which moreover achieves a more accurate adjustment of that position. It would also be desirable to apply such a solution to older machines where the position of the cutting tool needs to be adjusted in the height direction.